Lebanese man accused of killing model wife arrested after fleeing to UK on small boat

Yahoo

29-07-2025

Ibrahim Ghazal traveled through a number of European countries, evading extradition after arrests, by complaining he would be executed if he would return to Lebanon.
Ibrahim Ghazal, a 36-year-old Lebanese man accused of murdering his model wife in Beirut in 2021, was arrested in the United Kingdom after sailing to Britain illegally on a small boat from France.
Ghazal is currently serving a nine-month sentence for entering the UK without clearance. He is understood to be one of 23,000 migrants to have crossed the English Channel from France in 2025, according to the Telegraph.
An Interpol red notice was issued for Ghazal after his wife, Zeina Kanjo, wassuffocated to death.
Before her death, the 33-year-old model had reportedly filed domestic violence and fraud complaints against her husband and was attempting to divorce him when he allegedly murdered her.
Hours after Kanjo's death, Ghazal traveled to Turkey. Lebanese media site Al Jadeed shared a recording in which Ghazal seemingly confirmed to the victim's sister that he killed Kanjo.
'I didn't want to, I didn't want her to die, when she was screaming, I just put my hand on her mouth,' he said.
Unchecked migration to the UK
Ghazal's arrival in the UK has stirred more controversy in the already heated debate on migration to Britain. 'As we know that the illegal immigrants arriving are from nationalities 24 times more likely to end up in prison, especially for sex offences,' Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, told The Daily Mail. 'Every illegal immigrant should be immediately deported upon arrival – then the crossings would soon end.'
"We have seen terror suspects, murderers, rapists and drug dealers saunter into the country and jeopardize the safety of the British people," Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick told the British outlet. 'This is nothing less than a national security emergency.
"The public couldn't care less about outdated international treaties and when the safety of their communities - of their own children and loved ones - is at stake.
Before arriving in the UK, Ghazal traveled through a string of European nations, including Greece, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France.
Ghazal had been arrested in Stockholm in 2022, but his lawyers had secured his release by claiming he may be executed for the murder if he returned to Lebanon. A similar argument was made to secure his release from Germany when he was placed under arrest.
Ashraf Al-Moussawi, a lawyer representing the victim, complained that 'In reality, Lebanon hasn't carried out an execution since 1994, so it shouldn't have been an obstacle.'
'Following the government's refusal to amend the law and the expiration of his detention in Sweden, he submitted a humanitarian asylum request, which was under review when he was released. He then wandered Europe until his recent arrest in England,' Al-Moussawi said.
Both the victim's father and lawyer have urged the British government to deport Ghazal to Lebanon.
While Kanjo's father, Mohammed, wants to see his son-in-law return to face trial, he told the Daily Mail he had little hope in his daughter receiving justice - especially as Ghazal was able to reenter Lebanon a year after the murder to attend a relative's wedding.